3.1 Motorcycle Rider Licensing

The goal of licensing is to ensure that motorcycle riders have the minimum skills needed to operate motorcycles safely (NHTSA, 2000). All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico require motorcycle operators to obtain a motorcycle operator license or endorsement before they ride on public highways (MSF, 2018). Most States will waive the skills test, and sometimes the knowledge test, for motorcyclists who have completed approved motorcycle rider training courses, if the student passes the knowledge and skills tests administered at the conclusion of the course.

Effectiveness Concerns: Although this countermeasure is widely used, the effectiveness of current licensing and testing on crashes and safety has not been evaluated.

Further information about the known research, potential effectiveness, costs, use, and time to implement is available in Appendix A5, Section 3.1.

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